A motion for summary judgment asks the court to decide a civil case in favor of the movant without the need to proceed all of the way through trial. The motion claims that there exists no justiciable of material fact for the determination of the court and that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.
The motion is predicated upon pleadings, responses to discovery, deposition testimony (all of which must be a part of the court file--that is "of record") and sometimes affidavits that are filed in support of the motion. The gist of the motion and the argument that is made at the hearing is that even if all of the foregoing material were interpreted in a manner most favorable to the opposing side, there exist no disputed issues of material fact for the court to determine at a trial.
Therefore, opposing a motion for summary judgment requires the non-moving party to demonstrate that one or more material issues do exist. This would be done by bringing to the court's attention, usually in a memorandum opposing the motion, the disputed issues of fact. The non-moving party should also be certain that all pleadings and discovery upon which he/she/it relies to demonstrate the existence of the issue(s) are filed with the court ("of record") well in advance of the hearing on the motion (local rules of procedure will dictate how long). It is also important that the issues raised are material and not tangential ones--that is, ones that do or could reasonably make a difference to the outcome of the case and which are therefore deserving of a full airing in a trial.
The Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment is asking the court to rule on all pleadings that have been filed in the case. This happens if one of the defendants has filed an response or answer. The Plaintiff will usually ask for judgment when filing a motion for summary judgment.
A motion for summary judgment asks the judge to dismiss the claims before the court. A moving party asks the court to assume that all of the allegations made by the plaintiff are true and even if all true asks the court to rule that no valid claim has been made by the plaintiff. For example, suppose the plaintiff sues the defendant for wearing a red tie. The defendant would admit that he wore a red tie, and ask the court to make a ruling that there is no possible recovery for the plaintiff when he defendant wears a red tie.
To object to a motion for summary judgment on the grounds that the defendant has no means to pay, you can argue that while the facts may support the plaintiff's claim, the lack of financial resources impacts the appropriateness of granting summary judgment. Emphasize that summary judgment should consider not only the legal merits but also the equitable factors involved, such as the defendant's ability to satisfy a judgment. Additionally, you can request that the court take into account the potential for alternative dispute resolution or a payment plan, rather than a straightforward judgment.
The plaintiff typically responds to a defendant's notice of motion and motion for judgment on the pleadings by filing a written opposition. In this response, the plaintiff may argue that the pleadings present sufficient facts to support their claims and demonstrate that the case should proceed to trial. They might also highlight any legal deficiencies in the defendant's arguments and provide supporting evidence or legal precedents that favor their position. Ultimately, the plaintiff seeks to convince the court to deny the defendant's motion and allow the case to continue.
innocent
A summary judgment motion tells the court that based upon all the pleadings filed in the case, there are no issues of fact for the court to resolve at a trial, and that the plaintiff is entitled to a judgment without a trial, as a matter of law.
Counterclaim under FRCP 13.
To dismiss a civil case when the plaintiff's charges against the defendant are untrue, the defendant can file a motion to dismiss. This motion should detail the reasons why the claims lack merit, often citing insufficient evidence or legal grounds. Additionally, the defendant can gather evidence to support their position, and if appropriate, request a summary judgment, which asserts that there are no genuine disputes of material fact warranting a trial. Ultimately, presenting a strong legal argument can lead to the case being dismissed.
A motion for default due to failure to plead is a legal request made by a plaintiff when a defendant does not respond to a lawsuit within the specified time frame. If granted, it means the court has found the defendant in default, essentially ruling in favor of the plaintiff because the defendant failed to contest the claims. This can lead to a default judgment, where the court decides the case based solely on the plaintiff's arguments and evidence.
A plaintiff starts a lawsuit by filing a complaint and serving the complaint and summons on the defendant (or defendants). If the defendant does not answer the complaint or otherwise respond to the suit, the plaintiff make request a "default judgment." This means, more or less, "the defendant has not responded and the court should therefore grant what I sought in the complaint." Usually, a default judgment will be restricted to the relief sought in the complaint and will be restricted to amounts that are reasonably calculable. For example, say somebody hit you with their car, and you sued for $100,000 in medical bill. If the defendant ignores the lawsuit, the plaintiff will request a default judgment, and the court will likely grant them a $100,000 judgment. The plaintiff will then take the judgment to (most often) the county sheriff's department, which will then seize a defendants property to be sold to pay the judgment; or plaintiff can seek other remedies, like garnishment of wages. Lesson: don't ignore lawsuits. That's how you lose for sure.
Summary judgment is granted when there is no dispute as to any of the material facts in the incident that caused the lawsuit so that, as a matter of law, one party or the other is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In a suit on a credit card bill, if the defendant does not dispute that he is responsible for the full amount claimed by the credit card company, but just won't pay it, the plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment without having to go to trial because the defendant admits the debt. There is no genuine issue of material fact that has to be resolved by trial. Now if the defendant denies that he is responsible for all or part of the debt (for instance if the card had been stolen and charges were billed for purchases not made by the defendant but the credit card company does not believe him) there is an issue of material fact that has to be determined at a trial. The issue is did the defendant actually make the charges or not. Summary judgment cannot be granted as long as there is a genuine issue.
If the defendant fails to appear in a civil court lawsuit, the plaintiff can motion the court for what is known as a default judgement. In laymen terms, they win. If the defendant shows up but the plaintiff did not, they can motion to have the case dismissed with prejudice. This means that the person who sued them cannot bring the same matter back to the courts again.